Mark
Mark was a King of Cornwall. He was the brother of queen Elizabeth. Meeting Balin and Merlin When King Arthur was still a young King, Mark was riding near Camelot when he saw the bodies of Sir Lanceor and his lover Colombe, and Balin and Balan said how they were killed; Lanceor challenged Balin and then his damsel took her life. He made great sorrow for the true love between them and swore to stay there until he makes a worthy tomb for them. So he pitched his pavilions in that land and searched through all the country, until he found a fair and rich tomb in a church. He put them both in the earth and put the tomb above with their names. (2,vii) While Mark was doing this, Merlin came to him and prophecised that in this place two knights will fight the greatest battle, but none will slay each other; and he wrote on the tomb their names with golden letters: Launcelot de Lake and Tristram. Mark marveled at how a boistous man can speak of such marvel and asked his name, but he replied that he won't tell it; only in the time when Tristram is teaken with his lady, Mark will learn his name, along with bad news. Then Balin and Balan took their leave of King Mark who asked for his name. Balan said that he bears two swords, so he may call him "Knight with the Two Swords". Then he went to Camelot to see Arthur. (2,viii) Independence from Ireland Cornwall for many years paid truage to Ireland but Mark was behind for 7 years. King Anguish sent a messenger to ask for the pay, but Mark and his barons replied that they won't pay a truage, and challenged the King to send a champion to fight with theirs for these rights. Soon after Marhaus came to fight for Ireland, and Mark made great sorrow because he was one of the most renowned knights of the world and the Round Table and nobody dared to challenge him, and Marhaus every day sent him messages to pay the truage or find someone to fight with him. He let make cries everywhere in Cornwall asking for a knight to fight and save the truage of the land, with rewards for all his life. Some of his barons counselled him to seek Launcelot, the most marvelous knight of the world; but others said that Marhaus is also a knight of the Round Table and they would not fight, so all agreed they wouldn't seek a knight of Arthur. (8,iv) A young man came to him and asked to be knighted to fight with Marhaus. Mark asked him what he is and from where, and he replied that he is a gentleman coming from his brother-in-law, Meliodas. He saw that he was young but very well made and big, so asked his name and origin, and the young replied that he is Tristram from Liones; Mark agreed to make him a knight if he does the battle. As he knight him, he sent letters to Marhaus saying that he found a knight to match him. Marhaus in turn replied that he'd fight only with a knight with royal blood, and Mark asked for Tristram to tell him the answer. Tristram replied that he is the son of Meliodas and Mark's sister, and Mark gladly welcomed him as his nephew. In all haste he horsed and armed Tristram int he best manner, and sent also to Marhaus that a more royal man than himself would fight. By assent of both Mark and Marhaus they ordained to fight on an island and arranged for him a ship and supplied; as he with his barons saw him departing to risk himself for the right of Cornwall, all cried. (8,v) After the battle the king and his barons came with procession to collect Tristram who was gravely wounded. Returning to the land, he took Tristram in his arms with Sir Dinas and they led him to Tintagil. He ordered to examine his wounds and he wept heartily with his lords and prayed, eager to lose all his lands to save his life. He summoned all kinds of healers and surgeons, men and women, but for more than a month he could not recover. A wise lady told to Mark and all his barons that Tristram could not be healed unless he was taken to the country where the venom came from. Hearing this, he prepared a fair vessel with supplies to send Tristram to Ireland. (8,viii) When Mark was whole in his prosperity came news that Tristram arrived to Tintagil from Ireland healed of his wounds and he was glad, as all his barons. (8,xiii) Strife with Tristram After some time Tristram returned and stayed long with him; but eventually he noticed how the wife of earl Segwarides loved Tristram and he was jealous because he also wanted her, and there was jealousy and unkindness between them. One day he saw that the Lady's dwarf was with he Tristram and sent for him. He made him by force to tell him everything, and the dwarf revealed that they are going to meet the next day; Mark let him go and threatened his life if he ever says that they talked. (8,xiii) The night when Tristram and the lady would meet, Mark armed and readied himself and chose 2 knights to ride and ambush on Tristram. As they saw him riding, they suddenly hurtled upon him, hurting him sore on the breast. Tristram smote Mark with his spear rashing him to the earth; Mark was bruised and lay still in a swoon and until he could wield himself, Tristram threw defeated the knights and rode away. (8,xiii) One day he had ordered Sir Andred to go and bring forth if he can, Sir Sagramore and Dodinas. Sometime later Sir Bleoberis appeared and asked a bon from his court; Mark marveled of his demand, but because of his great renown as a knight of the Round Table, he granted him his asking. Bleoberis asked the fairest lady in the court and Mark told him to choose; Bleoberis chose Segwarides's wife and left with her. Mark and all the court was angry with that. Then within a while came one of Segwarides's squires, and told in the court that Sir Segwarides tried to rescue his lady but was defeated and lay near death. King Mark was heavy as all the court, and Tristram went after him. (8,xv) Later Tristram returned to Tintagil, and later the lady, who told him how Tristram fought with Bleoberis to rescue her. (8,xviii) After that he always had in mind how to destroy Tristram. As he always praised the beauty and goodness of La Beale Isoud, Mark sent him back to Ireland with the proposal to marry her as a message, but with the intend to slay Tristram. (8,xix) During the War with Rome, Sir Tristram was left with King Mark for the love of Beale Isoud. This is probably an anachronism because Marhaus was probably still alive during the War. (5,iii) Trivia It is not clear how Mark didn't know Balin's name in 2,viii, yet he already had written it on Lanceor's tomb. (2,vii) category:Cornish category:Kings